The Role of Schools of Public Health in Global Health Improvement

The Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development, a school of public health, has developed a model for practice linked training of Public Health Professionals through partnership with communities and the health service providers. The model places students at the frontlines of health care planning and service delivery, in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH) managers and service providers. Each batch of students, with support of lecturers engages with district managers, local service providers and communities in situation analysis, planning, baseline survey, capacity building and service provision. These steps are linked to taught courses such as health determinants; health policy, planning, services management, and financing; epidemiology, biostatistics, demography; health promotion; environmental health; food and nutrition security; mother,  child and reproductive health; disease control and disaster management. This engagement facilitates learning among students, communities and lecturers while maintaining service activities guided by deliberative dialogue among, all partners. Students and lecturers take actual responsibility in service tasks and are not merely observers or researchers. Through partnership they address all the contextual issues that shape the health situation of populations, applying knowledge and skills to facilitate a lasting change through dialogue.

The model was assessed by a quasi-experimental study in collaboration with the MOH, which aimed to: document the training of Public Health Professionals in partnership with the MOH (the employers) and communities (consumers), demonstrate its effectiveness, in sustainably improving health indicators relevant to MDGs 4, 5, 6, 7 and translating the findings to policy and practice, and thus enhance the contribution of schools of public health to global health equity, through a partnership in academics, research, and service. The findings, reported in this paper, demonstrate the effectiveness of the model in improving indicators in areas that have had poor health outcomes for decades, towards achievement of MDGs.

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